Old News Archive

Kiwanis News 9-26

Three Rivers Kiwanis meets each Wednesday morning at 6:30 at Angie’s Restaurant. Visitors are always welcome.

A WORD OF APPRECIATION

(This is the third in a series of thumbnail sketches of organizations in Milo and Brownville, showing the impact each has on our lives.)

WE SALUTE THE MILO AND BROWNVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

We all remember our school history books and how far removed we felt from the events and people they told us about. Now, thanks to the Milo and Brownville/Brownville Jct. Historical Societies, local people and events become alive for us with pictures, clothing, artifacts, even recorded tapes. People of past generations, including many of our ancestors, become living people, even if we have never met them.

This is history at its best, showing us what our towns looked like, where people worked, what stores were like, what people wore, and many other facts of interest to people curious about the past. We see old advertisements and compare them with those we see in newspapers now, and in the process we see how much life has changed, perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse. Both societies have museums with open hours for visitors, and a trip to both will reward the visitor with a great deal of knowledge about the past and also give much to think about in comparing present-day life to the past.

The Milo Historical Society Museum, located in Milo’s first church building on High Street, is open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1-3 pm June -August or by appointment. Call President Ralph Monroe at 943-2268 or Curator Gwen Bradeen at 943-2369 for more information.

The Brownville/Brownville Jct. Parish House Museum, located at 72 Church Street in Brownville, is open Tuesday and Saturday from 10am - 3pm, May through September. Contact Reuben Lancaster at 943-2185 or E-mail Secretary Grace Leeman at fandg@kynd.net for more information.

We thank all those who contribute in many ways to these museums and historical societies for keeping us aware of the importance of the past in our lives.

MILO REC. DEPT. NEWS

by Murrel Harris

Dance class with Michelle Page is being held on Saturdays at the Milo Town Hall with over 40 enrolled.

Women’s volleyball teams will be chosen Monday October 1 at 6pm at the Milo Town Hall.

The Brownville Rec. Dept. will hold a Hallowe’en dance at the BJHS Alumni Building on either October 26 or 27, with the band Rivertown (formerly Entity) supplying the music. The date will be confirmed as soon as possible.

The new Brownville town newsletter will be appearing early in October.

Speaker Chair Sandra Gray introduced Jim Bryant, President of the Brownville Historical Society, who gave a very interesting talk about the workings of historical societies in general and about the work being done by the Brownville Historical Society. He called historical societies Merchants of Memories and urged everyone to check with their historical society before throwing away something which might be of historical interest. He mentioned that the Brownville Historical Society has over 1000 original documents (deeds, loans, etc.). He also mentioned that the Flying Fish Video Productions Company (Norman Ames), which produced the video about Lake View recently is also working on a video about Gulf Hagas and the Katahdin Iron Works, as well as the railroading history of the area.

Thanks, Jim, for a most interesting talk.

MEMBER PROFILE: ALINE BLANCHARD

by Bill Sawtell

Aline represents a variety of life experiences. She was born Aline Rita Gamache on November 26, 1935, in Worcester, Mass. Her mother, Rita Richards, died at twenty-three of a ruptured appendix when Aline was but two and a half years old. Her father, Maurice, a carpenter, died in an automobile accident in 1971.

Aline’s paternal grandparents brought Aline up while her father worked. They resided in Manchester, New Hampshire, where Aline attended grammar school, graduating from St. Jean the Baptist School in 1949. She later attended Presentation of Mary Academy in Hudson, New Hampshire, for four years, graduating in June, 1953. In addition to her academic work, Aline took piano lessons and studied mostly classical music.

Aline remembers her summer vacations and swimming at the local pool within walking distance from her grandmother’s. On the way there she would stop at her aunt’s garden to pick some luscious blackberries near the street going to the pool. I had to watch out not to get scratched by the bushes, she recalls. She went ice skating at the rink which was also near the house. I went as often as I could and did pretty well and enjoyed it much, she notes. I was even in an ice show, which was held in Derry. I really look forward to watching all the skating events on TV during the winter months.

Aline’s first piano teacher was very patient with her. (She started to play when she was eight.) My grandfather was always nearby to make sure that I put in my 20 or 30 minutes a day, Aline continues. Photography, reading, and bargain shopping at yard sales and flea markets are yet other hobbies.

Aline’s husband’s name was Roland Blanchard. Mainly a draftsman, Roland worked for many years for Combustion Engineering, Inc. in Windsor, Connecticut, where the family lived for thirty years. Roland passed away in March of 1999 of kidney cancer, leaving Aline with five grown children: Jackie Cramer of Milo; Denise, Suzie, Jeannine, and Michael of Connecticut. Aline also has six grand-children.

Aline worked as a teller for local banks in Connecticut and was head teller for about twelve years before working for a vice-president of sales of the American Service Bureau, serving as his secretary and then administrative assistant for thirteen years. The company provided paramedical services to insurance companies throughout the country.

The reason I became a member of Kiwanis is because I was impressed with the fact that the organization works closely with the local community and I want to be a part of it, she concludes.

THE EDITOR’S SPOT

September is traditionally the month when Kiwanis clubs install their new officers for the coming year, and the Three Rivers Kiwanis installation is September 26. As we say thanks and well done to the outgoing officers, we welcome and pledge our support to those who will work hard to see that our club does as much as possible for our communities, and especially for the children in the coming year.

We know, however, that the officers can’t do it alone, and that each member must reaffirm a strong commitment not merely to come to meetings and pay dues, but to become actively involved in the work. We have committed ourselves to renovating the Town Hall and to providing books for children in the early grades. We have discussed and shown interest in producing a community newspaper for Milo and Brownville. All of these service projects will improve the lives of people locally and are well worth doing, but Kiwanians must seriously commit themselves to bring them to fruition.

Commitment always involves the giving of substantial amounts of time, sometimes sacrificing personal wishes to help with projects. As we think about a newspaper, let’s be sure that we all are ready to spend time gathering news, delivering papers, printing, and collating every week for years ahead. The paper would bring us closer together as communities and would enable us to provide upbeat news about school and community. But it’s a big commitment. Think about your part in it.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Whether at the end of his life a person’s stay on earth has been worthwhile depends

not on what he has accumulated, but on what he has given. .......unknown

NOTE - This article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of the TRC Alliance Team.